The Butterfly Effect
by PuffleHuffWriting
Summary: Hermione Granger could not stand to let all the loss and heartache stand- So she takes the future in her own hands with her Time Turner. However, she begins to wonder if what she did meddled too far into the lives of her friends and family, even if it was for the greater good. Picks up CoS era- JP/LP, HG/SB, RL/NT- And of course, I'm not JK Rowling
1. Chapter 1

**So, I know the last thing I probably need is to start another story, but the inspiration struck so I had to get it out of my head.  
Basically- I love stories where Hermione goes back with her time turner and falls in love with Sirius and stays- But I don't see a lot of the aftermath with that. So I decided to write it.**

 **There is not much detail in this first chapter- But it gives the basic idea, and details will be filled in as I go.  
Enjoy!**

* * *

The study was quiet, as it was to be expected at four in the morning on a Thursday. Hermione Black moved carefully, clicking on the lamp as she came into the room and flopped herself into her favorite chair- Sirius' oversized leather lounger. She held in her hand a small chest, locked tight with specific magics she designed herself to be unbreakable. Hermione sighed as she listened for a moment to the silence of her home before pulling her wand from her robe pocket. "Occulta confractus cincinno." She whispered to the three locks, taping each one in turn. The shimmered slightly, then clicked open, allowing the chest to pop slightly. Again, Hermione listened to the silence, making sure that was all there was to hear.

Her eldest daughter was two months into her first year at Hogwarts, so she was out of the way, but Hermione still had to worry about waking her younger daughter, who at six years old was already exhibiting much too much of her father, and was often up much later than she was supposed to be. And then there was Sirius.

He had spent too much time as a dog in his thirty-three years, and it had left his hearing impeccable. Nothing much got past him, as long as he was awake.

Hearing nothing but her own breathing and the tocking of the clock on the mantle, she proceeded to take the things in the chest out. She carefully picked up a stack of pictures held together with some sting and pulled at one end of the tie to loosen it.

Sometimes she missed these days- Even if now was better, fuller. There were things from her old life she would never get back.

Like her friends.

She missed Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville. She saw them now, Harry especially, but he was just a couple years older than one of her own daughters now. She looked at the photographs, one at a time, remembering her life the way it was a lifetime ago.

She kept these photos in order, from her first year, one Hagrid had taken of Harry, Ron and herself in the spring, huddled together in the still cold air of the courtyard. One Harry had taken of Ron trying to teach her wizard's chess. She smiled sadly.

There were several. Pictures with Ginny. Pictures from Harry's Quidditch games. As she flipped through, tears slid down her cheeks. She loved her life now, her children, and Lily was her absolute best friend. She had no second thoughts or regrets about coming back to save her and James and Harry from their original fates. They're lives were much better, with Voldemort gone and the Horcruxes all destroyed.

She found herself lingering over a picture from '95. It had not yet reached that time yet now, but in Hermione's first time through, she'd saved plenty of photos. The picture which had her attention was of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. The two in the picture were lost in conversation with each other, not paying attention to the camera that Sirius was using to snap the picture.

Hermione held this picture in one hand, and bit at the nails on the other. She stared, thinking hard.

She promised not to meddle. She had to. She'd already changed so much by doing what she did she had no idea who some of the people she'd most would grow to be.

And Tonks- She was a good example.

Tonks grew up in a world where Sirius was married and an Auror, not an imprisoned disgrace to her family- so she followed her more frivolous but more well suited dream and became a tattoo artist. Her unique magic worked into each tattoo she gave, and she soon had international fame as an artist giving changing, living tattoos. Blooming flowers, animals with small animations, and the style that made her famous- the Patronus tattoos. She was the same, spunky, self reliant girl Hermione had so admired before.

And she still, even now, had her crush on Remus. It was evident when they had family events. Andromeda and Ted always tried to drag Tonks along and when they were successful, she would steal a glance his way when she thought no one was paying attention- But then, only Hermione knew what she was looking for.

But what about her and Remus? And Teddy?

She had a picture of Harry with Teddy asleep on his chest, mere weeks after the loss of Remus and Tonks, and so many others. It was one of the things that set her to planning to break out her old time turner. She ran her thumb over the picture of Harry and Teddy, and jumped when she heard Sirius speak from the door.

"One of these days, when what you've done has all finished playing out, do I get to see what is in the box?" He ask. Hermione looked over at him, wiping away a stray tear. He looked completely groggy, his long raven locks in tangles all over his head from sleep. He leaned against the door frame, watching her with curious grey eyes.

"Maybe. Once I know nothing in the box will cause damage to the timeline here." She said with a sigh. Sirius was one of three people in her life who knew she had a before. When she arrived, she'd gone straight to Dumbledore. She knew that her coming so far back in time was a one way trip, but she'd already lost her family and so many friends she'd decided it would be worth it. So she explained herself to the older Professor. She then found the only other people she knew she could trust. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. She met James and Lily. She fought evil. And she fell in love.

Remus and Sirius knew only exactly what they needed to in order to help. Nothing more, nothing less.

"You loose so much sleep, I think it might help to share the weight of whatever is in there." Sirius suggested. He had been trying this since they met.

"No, darling. I can' know I can't." She stated again.

"Well." He huffed, crossing his arms across his bare chest. Hermione liked when he got annoyed with her like this, his muscles tensing as he did. She raised an eyebrow.

"Well?" She repeated. "What woke you anyway?"

"The bed got cold." Sirius confessed. "Put your super secrets away and come back to bed." He held his hand out to her. Agreeing, and admitting defeat, Hermione clicked the lid shut and locked the chest, placing up on a shelf on the wall of the study.

Back in their bedroom, Sirius pulled Hermione into his chest, idly playing with her thick, chestnut curls. They lay in the silence for a while, Hermione enjoying the comfort of his arms around her, but after a while, when she did not fall back to sleep, Sirius spoke up again.

"Wanna tell me about it, Doll?" He whispered.

"I know what I did made things better." Hermione said firmly.

"Yes, that is what I gathered from what you have told me." Sirius confirmed.

"I worry." She said.

"About?"

"Well-" Hermione sighed. "Honestly. I worry about Remus. The second war is how he met his wife. He had a beautiful family." She confessed.

"Oh." Sirius said. "Well, I'm sure he will be fine. He has a new job, and from what I hear the students are all adoring him. He's a natural in that classroom. He's had a few dates this year. It'll work out." He dropping his hand from her hair to her back, gently rubbing circles to comfort her.

"I really hope so." Hermione said, snuggling into his chest.

"Moony is a tough cookie. He'll be fine." Sirius said in a more definitive sort of way. "We should try to get some more sleep before the princess awakens and demands nourishment."

"Yea, alright." Hermione nodded, smiling now. Sure, she still wondered if maybe she should lock Remus and Tonks in a closet at some point to set things right, but she tried to drop it for the night.

* * *

Nymphadora Tonks groaned at the sound of the alarm clock to her left. She grabbed her pillow and threw at the clock, causing it to fall off the bedside table and clatter to the floor, silencing it as it fell. She sighed contently, trying to relax again, until a pair of warm, strong hands snaked around her abdomen and down under the waistband of her sleep shorts. She gave a small moan as the hands began to massage her, and she arched her back against their owner. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" She giggled. "That was your alarm."

"Mmm." A grunted reply. "I set it an entire half hour early just to wake up for this." Remus Lupin replied, his mouth nuzzling her neck.

"And you think I'm willing to give up my sleep for a shag? Bold, Lupin." She grinned, rolling over to face him.

"I love that color on you." He said, brushing her hair from her face. "What do you call it? Lilac?" He held a pale purple strand out where she could see. She simply shrugged.

"Don't change the subject. You woke me up an entire hour early, considering I get more sleep than you do, Professor." She reminded him. "I suggest you make it worth my time."

This was all the invitation he needed, and the shorts he'd been toying with were slid down and off, coming to a rest somewhere near the foot of the bed. His own pajamas joining them in short order. A fury of gasped kisses and heated sighs mingled with the early morning chirping of the birds outside her flat until they lay, entangled again, sweat slicked and breathless.

"Worth the lost sleep?" Remus ask, stroking a finger down her nose. Tonks laughed. She turned her arm over and watched the bouquet of various flowers open and bloom for the day.

"Honesty? Always is." She replied, kissing the stubble on his jawline. He leaned his forehead into hers for a moment before having to pull himself away. She grabbed the edge of the abandoned quilt and rolled herself up in it before sitting up, but kept her arms freed enough to move. "I hate that you can't stay longer."

"I know." He nodded. "I do, too."

"There are always weekends..." She ventured. Remus looked over at her, a bit sadly.

"Dora-"

"No, I know. I'm still a secret. I got it." She smiled, swallowing her emotion as soon as he looked away again. The florals on her arm wilted, and she shrugged the quilt up to cover herself from the neck down.

"Its not-" He stammered. "Dora, don't."

"Don't what?" Tonks replied, almost too cheerfully. She and Remus had been seeing each other behind basically everyone they knew's backs for nearly six months now. It all began when Sirius, who was a semi-regular at her studio had convinced James and Remus to get matching 'Marauders' tattoos with him. Remus doubled back to the shop. It was slightly a blur from there, but She knew without a shadow of a doubt she was madly in love with the werewolf, who was far more cautious. He had a fear of what Sirius and the others say. She thought, at first, that his cautions were justifiable. After all, he said he wanted to see what they could be without the added pressures. But after a few months, she was a bit let down.

"Soon." He replied to the question she didn't need to ask.

"Okay." she said quietly. She closed her eyes as he pressed a kiss to her forehead before bidding her a 'see you later' and heading out the door. She sighed and flopped heavily back onto the bed and pulling the quilt up over her head with a groan.

* * *

 **I'm hoping I can get a few comment/ reviews about this start and if you think it deserves more.  
Thanks for reading!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Nymphadora Tonks rolled her eyes, listening to the continued nagging of her cousin-in-law, as she complained. She was beyond ready to be home, having been at Hermione and Sirius' house for several hours to watch their younger daughter, Farrah, while she and Sirius were both working. Sirius, unfortunately had something going on and would be out longer, but now that Hermione was home, Tonks planned to do the same and get some sleep.

"Well, Hermione, it's not my fault you chose to have his birthday party NOT on his birthday, but waited so late to tell us all when it was. I have had these plans for a while." She sighed, lacing her boot up from where she'd kicked them off so she and Farrah could slide around the halls in sock feet.

"But you have to come!" Hermione pleaded. "Your mum and dad are, and Sirius can only tolerate your mother's teasing if you're around to back him up." Hermione reminded her. Tonks sighed again, shaking her head.

"Sorry. My RSVP is in with my friend Franki." She repeated. "Sirius will understand."

"Its a SURPRISE party." Hermione reminded her. "You can't tell him you can't make it."

"Then you can!" She said, standing to get her coat. "I have three appointments in the morning, 'Mione. Can I go?" She ask, head tilted. Hermione looked a bit defeated, and let the bun holding her hair back go, releasing a fluff of curls.

"Good night, Tonks. Thanks again. I know it was such short notice." She gave Tonks a small hug as she headed out the door. Hermione started to turn toward the stairs to head to bed herself when she noticed something on Tonks' wrist. She grabbed her and pulled her over, shoving her sleeve up. She found four blue, fingerprint sized bruises on one side of the girl's wrist. She turned it over and found a fifth, slightly larger thumbprint. "Tonks!" She gasped.

"They're not what you think..." Tonks sputtered, embarrassed.

"Did someone hurt you? Mug you?" Hermione demanded. "We can call Sirius now-"

"Hermione." Tonks said, a bit louder and more firm. "No one hurt me. They're..." She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth, face and hair both flushing bright rose pink.

"Nymphadora Tonks!" Hermione's face changed, and she laughed. "They're sex bruises!"

"Like you've never had any..." Tonks said, annoyed at how amused Hermione seemed to be. She knew Remus had left a few, as he sometimes did when the moon waxed fuller, but she'd thought she'd covered them well enough with her sleeves that no one would see. Hermione snorted.

"For real this time, love." Hermione hugged her again. "Good night."

Outside, Tonks cursed herself. At the very least, she mused, she was glad Hermione had not ask who they'd come from. She hated lying to Hermione, but was forever thankful to Franki for having something they could go and do the night of Sirius' birthday party. She apperated home to call and tell her friend that the plan was in place.

She was starting to hate her flat when she was alone. And she hated herself for it. Tonks pride was her independence. But this 'falling in love' business, she decided, was a bit more of a mess than she bargained for. Six months of his ever-growing presence in her home, and her life, and it made her wonder if he ever intended to make this a serious thing.

Tonks flopped herself gracelessly onto her couch, slinging her legs over the arm. She grabbed her cordless phone from the endtable above her head and dialed, waiting for the other end to pick up. "Ello?"

"Wotcher, Franki." Tonks sighed. "I'm so glad you're home. Are you busy at the mo?" She ask, kicking one foot nervously.

"No, just got done with some laundry. Whats up?" Her friend replied.

"About Saturday..." Tonks said nervously.

"We're still on, yeah?" Her friend ask. "Should be a decent show, and free food at the after party." Franki said.

"I'm so glad you knew of something we could go do." Tonks confessed. There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment.

"He still isn't telling them, is he?" Franki ask. "That's why you won't go."

"It isn't so much that he won't tell..." Tonks explained. "It's Lily."

"Elaborate."

"Lily loves Remus. They're closer than he and James, really. Brother and sister, almost. She wants him to be happy, she is a good friend. So she always, and I do mean ALWAYS brings a 'friend' along to any event, in hopes of setting the before mentioned friend up with him. And Rem- He's a gentlemen. He keeps them company. Shares a dance. Flirts. He has gone home with a couple of them..." She closed her eyes, dreading the party.

"He isn't going to go home with some else. I've seen you two together, he really cares about you." Franki said.

"Apparently not enough. But no, I knew Rem wouldn't do that to me. But it's just hard. I don't want to be a dirty little secret." She covered her face with her free hand. "Nine years is not that much of an age gap. Especially not by wizard standards. I don't understand. Maybe he's ashamed to be with a rainbow haired tattoo artist. He's a world renowned wizard, Order of Merlin. I just-"

"Stop." Franki spoke firmly over her rambling. "I have a plan..."

Remus had been resting in what passed for a 'restful' fashion for a few hours, when he found himself being startled awake. He waved a hand over toward a few candles on his nightstand and squinted his eyes. "Harry?"

"Sorry, Uncle Moony. It's important." Harry said, also pajama clad, his hair sticking up on all sides of his head. Remus suddenly found himself much more awake, having found his nephew out of bed and Gryffindor tower, and in his own rooms.

"Are you alright?" He said, swinging his feet over the side of the bed, coming down to sit beside Harry, who had already perched himself on the older wizard's bed end.

"I need to tell you something. And I trust you, but I have to ask you not to tell anyone else." Harry said, quietly. Remus swallowed.

"Are you alright?" He repeated more firmly. Harry nodded.

"Yes. But you have to promise you won't tell. Not mum, dad, Sirius, NOBODY." The twelve year old pleaded. Curious, Remus raised an eyebrow, and looked his best friends' son over. He nodded.

"Alright, Harry. I promise." He sighed.

"I hear things. A lot. They won't go away." Harry looked at the floor, and Remus' nose caught the distinct smell of fear wafting off of him. He gently laid his arm around Harry's shoulders.

"Things?" Remus ask softly.

"Voices. Whispering." Harry explained. "They sound like they're inside the walls of the castle. Sometimes I hear them in class. Or the loo. Or the library. Never outside and never in any other the towers, though." Harry continued. "I mentioned it to Sir Nicholas. He said it didn't sound like any of the ghosts he knew."

"What sort of things do these voices say, Harry?" Remus inquired. "Do they talk to you directly?"

"No." Harry shook his head. "That is the strange thing. When you hear about people who go crazy and hear voices, the voices are always talking directly to them. This one- I don't think it knows I hear it." He looked up at Remus, his bright green eyes shimmering with a few tears. Remus squeezed him in tighter. "I'm scared, Uncle Moony. I need your help. Not Professor Lupin's. Uncle Moony's. That's why I couldn't wait until morning. It happens more and more now. Started on Halloween."

"Alright, Harry." Remus soothed. "We will figured this out. And I promise, as long as you are in no danger, I won't mention this to anyone else until we have more answers."

"Thank you." Harry said quietly.

"Do you want me to walk you back up to the tower?" Remus ask. "Just in case."

"Please." Harry nodded. Remus smiled gently and stood, sliding on his slippers. He held his arm out and Harry tucked himself under it.

"Did you use the cloak to get here?" Remus ask, amused. He noticed Harry had the old invisibility balled up in his arms.

"Yes, sir." He replied.

"Don't make it a habit, but when something like this happens, absolutely. Don't hesitate. Come get me." Remus said, guiding Harry along.

* * *

 **Okay- first let me just say... Wow!  
Thank you all so much for the positive response this story has gotten so far.  
If you haven't noticed, the events of Voldemort's demise are quiet different in my version. (As is Tonks' age.) But this is an AU, so.  
Thank you all so much for reading!  
Keep that love and the reviews going! It really makes my day getting to hear what you all think!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

"So," James Potter started, leaning in over where Tonks sat on her work stool, a bit too close for her taste, "Do you think it can be done?" He finished, as he watched her measure the area in question.

"I can cover scars, James. It wouldn't be the first time I've even worked on a werewolf inflicted wound. The issue is, really, does Remus really want it covered?" She glanced over at Remus, who was already buttoning his shirt back. He'd undone it and shrugged the shoulder off to allow Tonks to take measurements of his mark.

"Why wouldn't he?" Sirius ask, speaking before Remus even opened his mouth. He seemed annoyed with the other two.

"I've never heard him mention it. Just seems like a personal decision to me. A deeply personal one. From what I understood- Ya know, like from school, those scars are kind of a touchy thing... That's all." She commented.

"It wasn't something I had ever considered, is all." Remus finally said quietly. Tonks squinted at him, feeling like he may have been suckered in to coming with the other two.

"And it's not like you've even had that many conversations with Moony, anyway. If it is so personal why would he share it with someone he doesn't know?" Sirius added, seeming offended by her remark.

"No, I guess I _don't_ know him as well as you lot, do I?" She ask finally, steeling her face against all emotion. She wrote down a few more notes and sat back at her desk, before taking out a new sheet of paper. "Who is next?" She ask, waiting.

"Pads." James said, pushing his friend with his shoulder.

"Fine." Sirius huffed, pulling his jacket off and tossing it at James' face, then shrugging his tshirt off as well. Sirius had several tattoos, more done by Tonks than anyone else, covering his torso, arms, hands and the back of his neck. He even had a couple on his legs. He raised his arm and gestured with the other hand. "Here, I want mine along my ribcage, in this large blank area." He said. Tonks measured, clicked her tongue and decided to make the normal small talk she did with other clients.

"So- What made you boys decide for Patronum tattoos?" She ask, jotting her measurements for Sirius down. She shooed him away and gestured for James. "You're up, Prancer."

"Well, I was reading about them in one of Lily's magazine. And we're all very, very proud of you, by the way, but they are amazing. So I ran it by the lads and they agreed. So We're coming for my birthday." Sirius explained.

"Oh." Tonks nodded. She measured James' calve where he indicated and jotted it down. "So, each one takes three hours, round about. It is intense, painful, magically draining. But once on, it works." She said, laying her pen down and looking all three men over. "I can do you all three in one day, if you insist, but it will be a long day for all involved."

"Together." Remus said, "Or not at all."

"Color me shocked." She mocked but smiled. Shaking her head in amusement, Tonks leaned over her desk and opened her appointment book. "I have a Saturday at the top of next month. That is the best I can do. I actually will have a guest artist from Canada here, a friend of mine who has also perfected the style. He's going to mine that Thursday. Saturday he'll be here and can do walk-ins."

"We'll take it." James said. "They're on me. How much did we say?"

"They're five hundred galleons each. For you boys, I'll do four-twenty each." She said. There were a few inter-group protests, then James stepped forward and took his bank notes book and wrote her a check for the total. She smiled politely and wrote out a receipt.

Later that evening, Remus sat quietly in Tonks small kitchen, watching her from behind the mug of tea he nursed as she cooked some sort of chicken. She'd been silent the entire evening, not even greeting him when he'd come in, and Remus knew she was angry, hurting. But they'd planned this meal, and this evening, a while back, and she'd wanted to try the recipe for so long. He sighed, setting the mug down on the counter. "Say anything." He pleaded.

"There is nothing to say." She replied in a small voice, moving from cupboard to cupboard gathering things.

"Dora..." He begged.

"No. Sirius said it all." She said, turning, slinging a dish towel from her shoulder to the floor. "And you knew if you wanted your scar covered, you just ask. I would have. But that was- Embarrassing? Hurtful? I don't know. I feel like you are so full of secrets. You never told me about the scar cover up... and you won't tell the others about me." She looked at him with so much hurt. "There is nothing left to say, is there?"

"I-"

"Nothing." She repeated, answering her own question. A tear slipped down her cheek. "Maybe you should just go..." Her voice broke when she said it, and tears continued to follow the first on the trail down his cheeks. He stood, swallowing the knot that rose in his own throat, and nodded once before turning to leave.

"Can I call you later?" He ask meekly.

"I'd give it a day or two, Rem. Really think about how you can make this right. If I am what you even want." She had tears streaming, and he wanted so badly to dry them, but he knew he caused them. He nodded again, lingering for just a moment before leaving.

* * *

Back in the warmth of his quarters, Remus had found himself flopped across a large leather armchair, staring up at the ceiling rather than attending to the pile of half graded essays that were scattered across his coffee table. He had found himself in a rather difficult place, but he knew it was all his fault. Tonks had basically begged him from the beginning not to keep her a secret. Remus knew this was all his fault, and now they were in what was effectively their first real, true fight.

He wasn't even paying enough attention to know what was happening when the knocking started on his door. He simply waved his hand lazily over at the door, and the knob clicked open, letting Professor Slughorn in, steaming goblet in hand. The older professor looked his former student-turned colleague in his distress and cleared his throat. "Alright, boy?"

"Hmm. I don't know, maybe?" He blinked a few times, sitting up to properly address his guest.

"Feeling poorly or troubles with a lady?" He ask, sitting himself down across from the werewolf. He pushed the goblet slightly closer.

"Both?" Remus replied. He huffed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I get the feeling you don't want to share. I assume I know her?" Slughorn offered, grinning. Remus felt his annoyance growing, even though he was actually quite fond of the old potions master.

"You've been teaching here since... Well I assume the founding- Of course you know her. You know everyone." Remus joked, and it made the old man laugh deep in his belly, which was almost as amusing as the joke itself.

"That is fair. I tell you what..." Slughorn dug in his pocket and took out a small vile of purple liquid and he tossed it to Remus. "This won't have any reaction with that wolvesbane, but it will help you sleep. You're going to need your rest. Take it, then the other."

Remus looked the older man over, but shrugged and popped the cork off the vile and swigged the entirety of it down, then the foul wolvesbane potion as a chaser. He made a horrible scrunched face at the taste, which he was sure he'd never get used to. He found Slughorn had stood and moved over to his chair. He laid a hand on Remus' shoulder. "Thank you, sir." As he handed the vile and goblet back to the other wizard, who smiled warmly.

"Anytime, my boy. Anytime." The man said, leaving Remus quarters. He sighed and leaned on back in the chair. It was a rather comfortable place, that chair. And his eyelids were growing heavier. Between the mentally exhausting fight with his girlfriend and the moon being full the very next night, he was quite tired. He waved a hand again and the papers he'd had on the coffee table vanished themselves into his office and he kicked his feet up where they had been, leaning back and closing his eyes.

His rest was cut short, however, when he felt someone violently shaking his arm. His eyes shot open, bloodshot, and he jumped as his nerves struggled to keep up with the forced consciousness. Even when he'd awoken, Harry kept shaking his arm. He looked pale, like he'd been terrified.

"Harry!" Remus gasped, catching Harry's arm with his other, free arm. "What's wrong?" He blinked into the dim light of the room. It was nearly midnight.

"It happened again!" Harry said, his voice panicky.

"Where?" Remus stood straight up.

"In the Common room. Like it is inside the walls. I was up late reading for Transfiguration, because I can't quite get Hedwig to turn into a crystal glass. She's always a more clay looking goblet. So I was reading about the spell. And I heard it. Said it wanted to hunt." Harry shivered at the thought.

"Hunt." Remus repeated. "Hunt what?"

"Us. The students." Harry said, "I think."

"Show me." Remus said, forgetting his own exhaustion. He followed Harry back out of his quarters, into his office, then out and through the defense classroom and down the corridor that lead up to Gryffindor tower. Harry hesitated at the portrait.

"I was sitting at the couch that would be..." He walked about four feet down and laid a hand on the stone wall. "About right here. It sounded like it was inside the walls." Remus furrowed his brow in thought. He did not want to call more attention to Harry's issue if it was something he could solve. He knew it might cause the young wizard a bit of grief. But he didn't want to underestimate the situation. Remus came and laid his head flat against the wall, eyes closed listening.

"Whatever it is- It seems to be gone now. Do you feel okay staying in your dorm?" He ask, a hand on each of Harry's shoulders. Harry nodded.

"I think so." He said, then stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Remus, hugging tight into him. "Thank you for believing me, Uncle Moony. And helping me." Harry said, pulling away.

"Always, Harry. You know that." He gave Harry a squeeze on the shoulder and stood, watching as Harry reentered the tower. He turned and headed back to his own wing of the castle. It was mostly dark, the sparse lantern here and there, and he had his wand to guide the way for the rest. He was just past the library when he, too heard something. Movement. In the dark.

"Hello?" He called into the darkness, and he cast a lumos ball out into the unlit void, lighting his way.

"Is someone there?" He called again. "I won't give you a detention if you come out now..." The sound, like something large dragging against the stone, moved away from him. He tried to follow it, but the sound moved faster than he, and Remus lost track of it. He felt a bit uneasy, but admitted his defeat and headed back to his own room to finish sleeping off his potions.

* * *

 **I hope you are all still enjoying this! I have quite a plan for this- and Next chapter will have more Sirius and Hermione for those curious about them.  
Thank you all so very much for the reviews, and for following.**


	4. Chapter 4

The dress Franki tossed landed over Tonks' head, covering her bland, mousy hair. She let it stay for a moment, then pulled the dark garment off, tossing it to the side.

"I don't really feel like going..." Tonks sighed. She flopped back onto her bed and sighed.

"I don't really care." Franki replied with a snark. "I have too much planned into this and this night. And then-" She grinned, "We are crashing your cousin's birthday party."

"I can't crash a party I was invited to..." Tonks snorted. "And Hermione has never cared who I drag in."

"Well, either way." Franki said, picking the dress back up, holding it out for Tonks to see. "You're going out with me. Dancing. You're going to wear this- And then we are going to that party and YOU are going to make that werewolf eat his own tongue."

"Doubtful. Remus has more self control than anyone I've ever met." She rolled toward the wall.

"Normally, sure." Franki nodded, grabbing Tonks and forcing her to roll over. "But- I read. I know a thing or two about werewolves, Tonksy. He has a jealous streak he will not be able to avoid when every eye in the place is on you when we walk in."

"So you plan to dress me like a slut to do that?" Tonks scoffed. "Its not me and its desperate. Besides, I have to wear something that covers this stupid..." Tonks gestured to her thigh where she had her own, fresh patronus tattoo. She was still quite sensitive about it, because her patronus, which last she knew had been a rabbit, was now a very large wolf. She was still not sure how to feel about it.

"No. Not like a slut. Its a tea length. But the hug of it is gonna ride those curves. It is more than enough to cover that wolvie. Plus, this... And some kitten heels... Charmed to keep you from tripping and falling, of course... All we need is for someone, anyone, at the party to flirt with you. Then we'll see." Franki gave an almost Cheshire cat style grin.

"What you are forgetting, Franki, is that its been days. Which, yes, I told him to take time. But I haven't heard a peep. And he's one of the 'Big Three'-" Tonks did the over dramatic air quotes with her fingers, "So women fall at his feet. He's the only one not married. He has options." She drew her knees to her chest. "And he DID keep me a secret. For MONTHS."

"Matters not now!" Franki said, dragging Tonks to her feet. "I already know how I want you to do your hair..." She guided her off toward the bathroom to start to get ready.

Later that night, he music pounded in Tonks' ears as what had to be the fifth or sixth stranger spun her around the dance floor. She had to hand it to Franki, she did manage to have a little fun, and she made a good point about having 'the scent of other men' on her when she walked in. It wouldn't be detectable to anyone else at the Black house, but it would most likely catch Remus' nose straight away. The band ended the song and Tonks thanked the man, who corrected her to say his name was Greg, for the dance before seeking out Franki.

"So-" Tonks said, leaning into her friend.

"So." She nodded. They left together, arms linked, headed to Sirius' birthday.

* * *

"Are you having fun, darling?" Hermione ask, wrapping one arm around Sirius, who had slipped away from the crowd to the kitchen to eat in peace for a moment. He had both cheeks stuffed with sweets, and more on a small plate, ready to devour. He choked down what he'd already packed in.

"Its wonderful!" He smiled, turning enough to wrap his free arm around his wife. He popped another giggle truffle in his mouth, muffling the laugh as he chewed the confection. "Thank you so much!" He kissed her temple, smearing her face with chocolate. Hermione laughed and wiped the chocolate away.

"Listen-" She said, stepping back a bit, sliding his arm away but taking his hand in hers, "I think something is wrong with Remus."

"How do you figure?" Sirius ask, eyebrow raised, eating another, zebra striped candy.

"He's keeping to the corner. Barely ate. Scanning the crowd." Hermione explained.

"Yeah..." Sirius shrugged, "I mean, he is always a little tense and paranoid after the full moon. And we're subjecting him to a very crowded place with an onslaught of scents and sounds..."

"Well, if you think so." Hermione said, as Sirius peaked around the kitchen door into the main party area of his mother's old grand ball room.

"Look- Lily is over there talking with him and her friend Tyrena now." Sirius gestured over his shoulder. Hermione peeked around the door, noticing her redheaded friend had indeed cornered Remus. He was talking through a tight, visibly uncomfortable but polite smile on his face.

"Yeah... I guess." Hermione said, even less convinced. She sighed and Sirius wrapped both his arms around her waist, pulling her backward into him and closing the kitchen door, which had previously been propped open. He moved her chestnut colored curls out of the way and placed a wet kiss on her collar bone, then up her neck, stopping at her earlobe. She sighed and shivered.

"Think they'd miss us if we popped upstairs?" Sirius ask, biting at the sensitive skin he'd just kissed.

"This is our party. At our house..." Hermione said, sighing again as Sirius pulled her back into him, where she could feel just exactly why he wanted to slip away. She slipped away and palmed at him through his trousers.

"Ah, 'Mione..." He groaned, gripping her hips tighter. "It's my party, after all..."

"Later." She said, turning around to face him. "I promise. It will be very worth it."

"Well, Mrs. Black... As long as you _promise..._ " He winked as he stepped back and tugged at his pants leg, in order to adjust himself. Hermione's head snapped around toward the door.

"Sirius." She said, getting his attention with her serious tone.

"Yeah?" He came over, looking where she was staring.

"The music stopped." She said, pushing the door open.

* * *

The room stood in stone silence, but the couple with everyone's attention only seemed to focus on each other, and the young man laying sprawled across the floor at their feet. No one spoke, the DJ cut the music, and all sound ceased. Tonks stood, looking from Remus, to the floor and back. She twirled a single, pale pink curl between her fingers. Remus was panting, almost _growling_ , even. His glowing golden eyes never left the witch before him. James came silently through the crowd, gently laying his hands on Remus' shoulders.

"Come one, mate." He said quietly. "Lets just take a deep breath." But hard as the other wizard tried, his eyes never left Tonks.

After a few breathless moments, Tonks heard Hermione's polite 'excuse us, pardon...' coming through the crowd. She and Sirius came through the other partiers and Hermione's jaw dropped. Sirius, however, looked far more amused. He came over to James' side, leaning over to his calmer friend. "What the bloody fuck happened?"

"Not a clue." James said honestly, nodding to the ground. "But I imagine it must have been horrible, for Remus to loose his temper like this." His voice stayed low. "We need to get him, and this poor bloke, out of here and into separate rooms." Sirius nodded, stepping back.

"Alright, everyone. Nothing to see here. Little too free flowing with the elvish, if you catch my drift..." He gave a nervous chuckle and charmed the unconscious young wizard to levitate from the ground, and he walked the opposite way from where James was very firmly trying to guide Remus from the room. He deposited the man on the couch in Hermione's office, closing the door behind him. He then hurried back through his house and the crowd, which had once again started to make small groups of polite conversation, to find that James and Hermione had taken Remus to the kitchen. He passed Lily and her friend Tyrena, who it turned out was a healer, going to check on the lad in the other room.

"Alright, mate. What happened? Honestly?" Sirius ask, propping against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. He looked from Hermione to James, then back to Remus. He shrugged roughly, still visibly angry.

"We could ask Tonks..." James suggested. "She was right there when it happened. I honestly thought at first maybe the bloke had got too friendly with her and got handsy... like you said, Elvish is pretty free flowing 'round tonight..."

"Where is Tonks?" Hermione ask, looking at Sirius, who had came through the thick of the party to join them.

"Franki took her outside when we moved everyone." James answered. "She looked... Shocked? Embarrassed?" He shrugged, turning his attention back to Remus. "Deep breaths, mate. Sip on that tea. For your nerves." He scooted the cup across the counter.

"He didn't do anything wrong." Remus said, pushing the tea away, sloshing part of it out as he did. He moved past all his friends, who at this point knew to step back as he pushed on through the kitchen. There was a door on the other side leading to the gardens. It took him almost no time to find Tonks, standing with both Franki and Lily. Lily looked him up and down, tugging his collar straight on the pale blue button down he'd warn to the party where he'd become disheveled during his altercation.

"No, you didn't break his jaw." She smiled, knowing what he was about to ask her. He swallowed and gave a tight nod, then moved on to the overlook of the patio, where Franki and Tonks were.

"T-" He started, then stopped himself. "Dora."

"Remus." She greeted, mirroring his stiff tone.

"We should talk." He said, his shoulders finally relaxing a bit, tension leaving his face.

"Should we?" She cocked her head to the side. "What about?"

"You know-" He stammered, exasperation taking over, "You know what about." He looked over at Franki, then just next to her at Lily. "Could you ladies..." He gestured for them to go into the house. Lily looked over at Tonks' best friend, who nodded in agreement and they headed back up the stairs.

"Make up your mind, did you?" Tonks snorted. "You don't want me, but no one else can have me either? How is that fair to me?" She spat her words with as much venom as she could muster.

"No." Remus said sadly. "No, that is not at all what happened." He wrapped his arms around himself, gave his shoulders a heave, then moved to a nearby bench and sat down.

"Then what?" She demanded. "Because I sure would like to know. As would about seventy of our closest acquaintances..." She pointed back toward her old family home. "Including, you may have noticed, my parents." She was shouting now.

"I'm in love with you, you psychotic little witch!" He shouted in return. Her face grew pale, her hair faded from pink to brown and the curls fell straight.

"What?" She whispered now.

"I love you." He said again. "I love you. And I saw him touch you... Innocent as it was for him to wrap an arm around you like that..." He recalled the young brunet wizard who had been flirting with Tonks, as he'd tried to guide her over to the bar before Remus' fist cracked into his jaw full force. "I told you before, there are a million reasons for you to not be with me." He looked up at her, and she saw tears gleam in the light on his cheeks. She moved over to him and took his face in her hands.

"I love you, too." She sighed, a tear of her own escaping. "Merlin knows I do." She drew a shaky breath. "But I cannot, and will not, be a secret another moment. Not if you want to be with me."

"I agree." He said, rising from the bench, his face now barely a few inches from hers. "I already have plenty of explaining to do."

"Yeah..." Tonks agreed, looking up into his eyes, which had faded back into their dark green natural shade. He leaned in, and with one quick motion wrapped her in close to him, his lips overtaking hers, and she allowed the kiss to deepen as she slid her hands up his arms, then his neck, then into his soft sandy hair.

They stayed this way for a long moment, neither bothering to even try to breath until they heard a voice from behind them sound that Sirius, too, had received a shock... "Bloody fucking shit..." He laughed, humored. "That explains SO much!"

* * *

 **Please review and let me know what you think of this! I worked so hard on this particular chapter, trying to get it right.  
Thank you all for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione Black had been resting peacefully, the start of the Christmas season successfully behind her. Her children were both home, under her roof, and she was fully relaxed. Until something occurred to her.

Remus mentioned in passing that Harry was being a bit odd at school.

Lily mentioned that Harry said they had found several animals around the campus behaving oddly, or frozen all together.

How had she missed this, she wondered, as she sat bolt upright in her bed. She clutched her head, breath racing. "Sirius. Sirius, babe. Wake up." She said, shaking her husband. Sirius groaned and tried to roll away.

"Mione' is too bloody early..." He whined.

"Worse than that, it's still night. Wake UP." She repeated, her voice sounding with fear. This brought Sirius out of his sleepy stupor.

"What? What's wrong?" He said, very alert now, taking her face in his hand. He waved the other hand at a lamp, which on command, illuminated their room.

"The basilisk." She said, shivering.

"Huh?" He grunted, confused, but worried about how afraid she seemed.

"Harry. The basilisk. We forgot it." She shook her head. "No. No. I forgot it. How could I do that?" She was shaking, and Sirius drew her in closer.

"Darling, I know there are all sorts of rules. I know there are things you cannot tell me. But I think, at this point in time- If something out there has you this terrified... You have got to tell me. I can't fix it if you don't." He soothed her hair gently.

"In our second year, Harry, everyone thought he was the heir of Slytherin. But it was a Horcrux. We found them all, we destroyed them all. Somehow, in doing that, I thought that after that Halloween when you three took him down in the duel, it would fix it all. But..." She shook her head. He still died trying to kill Harry. And the Basilisk..."

"You keep saying basilisk... you seriously mean a big ass death snake?" Sirius ask, trying to get a grip on their situation.

"There was one. In the chamber. The Chamber of Secrets." She clarified.

"Okay." Sirius nodded, he seemed to be increasingly confused, but attempted to give his wife the support she needed.

"The Chamber of Secrets was a secret area of the school that had been built by Slytherin, containing a monster which could only be controlled by his "heir" and was to be used to purge the school of all those he deemed "unfit" to study magic. Like halfbreeds, muggleborns, the squibs in the potions program..." She looked to her spouse, her brown eyes searching his loving grey ones. "Sirius. In my time, it petrified me. Not as in 'I was afraid of it', but as in, I saw it's eyes in a mirror and turned into a statue. It was horrible. Like being a prisoner in your own head. You can see out, but do nothing..." She leaned into him, a tear sliding down her face.

"I'm so sorry, doll." Sirius said, before kissing the top of her mass of bedhead curls. "But I have to admit, I'm still confused. Did you have a nightmare about it or...?"

"No!" She said, admittedly a bit frustrated, pulling away to face him again. "No. I forgot it was there. In the school. Alone. They can go hundreds of years, dormant... But at a certain point they must wake up to feed."

"Fuck." Sirius abruptly stood up, pacing the floor, running a hand through his hair. "You mean that thing is in the school?!"

"It's always been in the school. I'm saying now it is loose in the school, with no one to command it." She said, watching as the reality of the situation dawned on her husband.

"How do we fight it?" He ask, still pacing between their bed and the wall.

"Well, Harry killed it with Gryffindor's sword, which Dumbledore's Phoenix brought to him..." Hermione said, and Sirius stopped moving, his jaw agape.

"OUR Harry? Harry who still sleeps with a plush octopus Remus got him for his fourth birthday?" Sirius questioned.

"He was very, very different as an orphan." She shrugged. "That isn't the point. The point is that students and staff now are in danger."

Sirius started over toward his wardrobe, flinging it open and pulling on a pair of black denim pants over his boxes. Hermione watched him, almost laughing for a moment, before she finally stopped him. "Sirius, sweetness, what are you doing?" She ask, tilting her head.

"I'm getting dressed. I have to go get Moony and Prongs, we need to go to the Ministry-" He said, looking at her like she was ridiculous for asking, and that this was the most logical thing in the world.

"And what will you three report? That your wife is an illegal time traveler?" She pondered. "And that they need to just trust you on this?"

At this, Sirius stopped. Hermione reached her hand out from the bed, waiting on Sirius. He slowly, and very annoyed, undressed back to his boxers, then flopped down beside her. She brushed his hair out of his face and kissed the tip of hid nose. "I'm sorry." He said, looking up at her. "Sometimes I forget that little detail."

"There is nothing you could do tonight, anyway. Or tomorrow. Harry could speak to snakes and still-"

"He still can." Sirius corrected. Hermione paled.

"What?" She sputtered.

"Harry. He's a parselmouth. There was a Potter back in the line that could do it, too." Sirius corrected.

"Well. Either way. Harry CAN speak to snakes, but in my time, it took us all year to find it. And if it's loose, it uses the piping of the castle to move around. There is no way to find it easily. We will have to make a plan." She finished, relaxing back down beside him.

"How do you figure?" Sirius ask, looking over at his wife, who had closed her eyes.

"Research." She replied casually. Sirius snorted.

"I was afraid you would say that."

* * *

Lily and James Potter were having an equally sleepless night in their home in Godric's Hollow. Lily was up for the third night in a row, ill to her stomach, curled up in a ball on the sofa in the sitting room. Something played on the tele, but she hardly cared. She felt nausea any time her eyes even opened, and she was trying very hard not to move until James returned with some ginger-ale and saltines. She groaned when she heard the door open and she sat herself up slowly. "You took for bloody ever." She grumbled.

"The corner shop didn't have what I was looking for. Had to pop into the city..." James explained. Lily wrinkled her nose and slowly opened one eye, hating how her head swam.

"The corner shop always has ginger-ale and saltines. What else could you possibly need? A comic?" She said, trying to be funny, but her tone came across harsh though her tensed state.

"Hear me out, love..." James said, reaching into the brown bag. He sat the box of crackers out on the coffee table, then the six pack of small ginger-ales, then he pulled a small white and pink box from the bottom and handed to the sickly redhead.

"A piss stick?" She snorted. "James... I know you wanted another baby, but they said after Harry..." She trained off, looking her husband over. He looked exhausted, but amused, and he ran an idle hand through his mess of brown hair.

"Stranger things have happened. And this is like... the fourth thing to come up that makes me wonder. Just- give it a go? I promise not to get my hopes up."

"Fine." She said, blowing a deep breath out of her nose. "If it will appease you, I'll have a piss on the stick. But after I have some salt and some carbonation. I feel like I'm on a boat in a storm." She eased herself back into the cushions. James cracked one of the cans open, and conjured a straw for her. He held it, and she took small sips. He then got her out a few crackers. She nibbled lightly at one for a bit, then another. After a few minutes, she sat forward, and nodded.

"Ready?" He ask quietly.

"It's just the loo. You promised me you wouldn't get too excited." She reminded him.

"I know what was said." He teased. "Do you need help?"

"No, no. I have it." She said, allowing him to brace her as she stood from the couch. She took the box with the pregnancy test and shuffled in her slipped clad feet down the hall.

It was a bit of an awkward moment, holding the test in her hands, waiting. Lily kept her eyes closed, listening to the ticking of the wall clock for four full moments to pass. She hated this feeling. It wasn't something she had to go through with Harry, she had found out when she went for an annual physical that she was six weeks pregnant. There was no warning with him. But now- She knew it was far fetched of an idea, but she still felt herself getting nervous. Excited, even.

The clock felt almost as if it was slowing down. Tick. Tick. Tick. Each one came slower. She counted, waiting for the two hundred and forty mark. Two-thirty-seven, two-thirty- eight... She opened her bright green eyes, blinking a few times to readjust to the light. Then she looked down.

The little pink positive sign looked up at her with an almost arrogant 'I told you so' brightness. She gasped slightly, covering her mouth. She sat for just a moment, dumbfounded, and she felt tears start to roll down her face, her heart swelling. A moment later, her nausea was forgotten, overtaken by joy.

"Lils? Are you okay?" James called from outside the door. "Did you get sick again?"

She jerked the door open without an answer, finding her husband on the other side of the door, taken aback by how quickly she opened the door that had been between them. He looked her over, and seeing her tears, swallowed. "Lily?"

"I don't know what to say." She said, handing him the test. He barely had time to look at the results before she wrapped herself around his neck, and he pulled her in tighter.

"How about 'You were right, James?" He laughed before kissing her.

"Those are not words in my vocabulary, sorry." She teased in return. He pulled her in for another kiss, he too, crying from joy now.

"Should we go wake Harry?" James ask, eyes wide and gleaming.

"NO." Lily said, a bit too forceful. James drew back slightly, but Lily smiled. "It's already so close to Christmas, why don't we get him a 'big brother' tshirt?" She suggested, hugging back into James' chest.

"That is a better idea." He grinned. "I love it."

"I love you." She replied, before suddenly tightening her grip and burying her face away from the light.

"Nauseous again?" James guessed, but Lily did not take the time to answer him before turning on her heels and slamming the door back closed in his face. He could hear her gagging and vomiting on the other side of the door. "Can I help?" He called.

"No!" She called back. "Just have me more ginger-ale ready and col-" She tried to reply, before having to stop and wretch again.

* * *

 **So, this chapter focuses on our other two main couples more, and has a bit more backstory as well as some plot set up. I hope you enjoyed reading it! Please review and let me know!**


	6. Chapter 6

The chill of the opening shop door caught Tonks' attention before the bell attached even rang. She was mid-line on a tattoo on a client's thigh, and could not look up, but knew she didn't have anyone due in for a while, so she simply called over her shoulder; "Someone will be with you in a few minutes!" Her partner was somewhere in the back, and due back up at any time.

"Take your time!" She heard the familiar voice of Lily Potter replied. Tonks took her foot of the petal of her tattoo machine, and glanced toward the door. Sure enough Lily and Hermione were both in her waiting area, sitting on the edge of the couch seats. Mild panic ran over Tonks, but she gave them a quick smile and went back to work on the client at hand. It was nearly another hour, so she was surprised they waited, but finally, Tonks finished the piece. It was a large, ornate grandfather clock, based on photo's of the wizard she was tattooing had brought in, an old family heirloom. The client had requested that Tonks do the face of the clock with a charm to make the clock keep the time. She was rather proud of how it looked, and snapped a photo for her portfolio before he paid her, and even left an extra fifty galleons for tip and "Happy Christmas", as he wished her and left. Once she was done with him, Lily came bouncing over to the counter, Hermione trailing behind her.

"Wotcher," Tonks greeted, a little apprehensive. Lily smiled brightly.

"I didn't realize how money was in tattooing." Lily commented. Tonks snorted slightly.

"It is an excellent example one of those businesses where you get what you pay for. And people come to me when they want hyper-realistic enchanted art." She explained. "I didn't realize either of you would be interested."

"I have one, actually!" Lily said, in a small laugh. "Its rather horrible, on my hip. Got it about four days after graduation, at a Muggle shop, for cheap. So yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"Let's see?" Tonks ask, and Hermione had chimed in, causing Lily to confess she had kept it hidden because it was so badly done.

"I really thought I was something when I got it, too." Lily laughed. The lines had blown out, and it no longer resembled the tiger lily it was supposed to be. It was more of a melted orange mess.

"I could cover that easy." Tonks offered. "Wouldn't taken more than half an hour or so."

"Oh, I couldn't right now..." Lily said, nervously. Tonks raised an eyebrow, waiting. "But I would like to take you up on that sometime."

"What about you, Hermione?" Tonks ask, humored. She knew Hermione was not interested at all, Sirius had told her all about it during one of his sessions.

"I'll pass." She laughed.

"So- If you're not interested in my art today, what can I do for you?" Tonks ask, propping against the counter where the register stood.

"We were just wondering if you had plans for tonight?" Hermione said, and Tonks took a deep breath.

"Need a babysitter?" She guessed, not really minding to keep the Black children ever. They were some of her favorite relatives, after all, and she and the girls always had fun.

"Oh, no. We were rather hoping, you know, since our boys are having their night together for the Super Moon, we thought we would have our own little sleep over, and we were hoping you'd come! Your mum is going to keep my girls, and Harry is staying over with Neville at Frank and Alice's place." Hermione explained. Tonks felt a bit shocked.

"You- Want me to come stay over with you?" She stammered. She loved Hermione, and what Tonks knew of Lily from family events she was a very sweet lady, who was a dear and close friend to Remus, but she wasn't sure how to feel about this new invitation.

"We were going to crash at Hermione's, rent some movies, eat junk food..." Lily elaborated. Tonks had to admit, it did sound fun. She still did not answer, them one way or the other, though.

"I also didn't you alone to worry about Remus. I know you know how the Super Moons can be, and James and Sirius have been with him through two others." Hermione's voice was soft and sincere.

"You planned this... for me?" Tonks felt a lump in her throat. Both of the other witches smiled.

"Yeah, Tonks. We have to look out for each other." Lily laughed, as Tonks was clearly very touched by the offer. "It is not at all easy to love a Marauder, and since they are a package deal, Hermione and I decided years ago we had better be, too."

"So what do you say?" Hermione and Lily both waited anxiously. After a moment, Tonks gave them a small smile.

"I have one more person coming in, for a small addition to a back piece, it should be maybe a little over an hour. I can meet you after that at Hermione's?" She offered. Lily clapped excitedly.

"Great! See you then!" They called, dressing back up to head out into the cold. "Bring comfy pajamas!"

* * *

James, Sirius and Remus laid spread out on a pile of cushions in the floor of the Room of Requirement. Their heads were close together, bodies sprawling in different directions, making them look somewhat like a graceless synchronized swim team. They were each a few whiskey shots in, having waited the appropriate amount of time after Remus had his potion so that it would be effective. The Room had supplied them with a first aid kit on the wall next to a window with very, very thick glass, a large pile of overstuffed cushions made of thick, rip resistant cloth, a fireplace with a grate covering the fire, and the ceiling showing the night sky, much the same way as the Great Hall. They had chosen the castle due to the cold, and the lack of students present for the upcoming Christmas holiday.

The three childhood friends had been here for about three hours now, laughing and telling stories, generally attempting to keep Remus' mind off the ache setting deep in his bones. Remus was starting to feel the pull of the moon, due up sometime in the next two hours or so. He laid quietly, listening to James and Sirius telling about an odd encounter they had while on duty one night, with a drunken wizard who was convinced he had found the fountain of youth in his local town park. He was relaxed, waiting patiently for the pain he knew was coming.

"Hey, Moony?" James said, rolling over to have a better view of his friend. "You good, mate?"

"Mmm. Fine. Just trying to rest before it hits." He confirmed without opening his eyes.

"Are we allowed to ask questions now, or is it still too soon?" Sirius ask from his place on the floor.

"You've known I was a werewolf for twenty years this year, Pads. I think you can ask questions." Remus joked in reply.

"About Tonks." Sirius clarified. Remus sighed, he had been dreading this.

"I guess." He said, bracing himself. "Depends on the question, though."

"When did that even happen?" James blurted, rolling to sit up, cross legged, facing the other two wizards. Remus stayed laying down, facing the ceiling, but Sirius rolled onto his stomach and propped up on his elbow.

"And how in the hell did we miss it?" Sirius added. Remus couldn't help but smile.

"When we got the map banner tattoos." Remus answered. "And because we were careful."

"Why wouldn't you tell us, though?" Sirius sounded offended, but James and Remus both laughed at his dramatic questioning.

"Because, Pads. Dora is your family. You two have always been close. She and I both felt, that at first, we should make sure it was something that would work before we told everyone and got the lot of you invested in our relationship. Too much pressure." Remus explained.

"I can see that. Ted and 'Dromeda would be tough, too." James agreed. "Andromeda is always so critical of Tonks."

"I'm sorry, did you say 'Dora'?" Sirius demanded, sitting up now. Remus still did not move, nor open his eyes, even with their onslaught of queries.

"Andromeda is _much_ too critical of her." Remus agreed with James, ignoring Sirius' outburst. "She does not find her art or her business to be a 'real job', even though she's out earning us all. And she nags her for not being 'feminine' enough. She is, but it is her own way... Andromeda just wants Dora to be more like her, Pisses me off, honestly."

"Awe! Siri, Rem's in love!" James mocked, but they both saw the large, genuine smile on Remus' face.

"I really, really am." He admitted. "It's odd, having been the odd bachelor out with you two for all this time. I mean, I was fine with it. But I sort of thought maybe I always would be. But that day when she was doing our tattoos, we were just making small talk while she was doing mine, and you two were playing with the TV set in her lobby. There was just something about her I couldn't get past. She is incredible."

"I was being an ass, but aw, man." James said, "I'm so happy for you Moony."

"I'm happy for me too, mate." Remus laughed.

"Well, now that we have all that mushy stuff out of the way- Is sex with a metamorphmagus as wild as I feel like it would be?" James ask, making his face stone serious as he ask. Sirius reached over and punched him in the arm, and James yelped in pain. "What?!"

"She's still my baby cousin, mate. I don't necessarily want to hear about all the horrible things Moony does to her. I already know 'Mione found some sex bruises on her wrist..." He fake-gagged in an over exaggerated manner.

"I'll tell you about it later, Prongs." Remus said, laughing hard now. James laughed too, as Sirius continued to stick to his protest of the subject. They had began to laugh again when suddenly Remus went quiet, and James and Sirius went on alert.

"Now?" Sirius ask, looking over to the window, and he saw the moon peaking over the crest of the mountain. Remus winced and rolled onto his side.

"Remember, you promised..." Remus reminded them. Super Moons were very dangerous for werewolves, but also made werewolves more dangerous. This would be their third together, and he always made them promise that if worst came to worst, they would do what they had to him to get away.

James and Sirius, of course, only promised this to keep him quiet, but had no intention of leaving him alone. "Yeah, Moony. We promise. Try to relax." James soothed. Before any of them could say another word, Remus' back was suddenly lurched backward, bones cracking and rearranging. Remus cried out, and both James and Sirius winced with him, wishing there was more they could do to help. He clawed at his skin as patches of fur pushed through, impatiently waiting for it to stop.

By the time it was over, the large grey wolf which stood in Remus place looked exhausted. Normally, when Remus transformed, because he had his potion, he would go for a run, then go sleep until the sun came up. This time, he had no energy, and they pain did not subside once it was over. He was only able to stay up on his legs for a moment, and he stumbled over toward the window, then had to prop his entire large, furry body against the cool glass.

Sirius went ahead and shifted down, padding over to the other canine with a small, kind tail wag. James took out his wand, and flicked it over to the cushions, so that they moved over to where the dog and wolf stood. Remus, or rather in his current state, Moony, collapsed heavily onto the cushions. Sirius curled up close to him, in comfort. James conjured a blanket, and he too then transformed, and gracefully bent his long stag legs beneath him, and he laid his head on the wolf's back.

Moony whimpered for a bit, fighting pain, before he was finally able to drift off to sleep, and his friends, once sure he was alright, followed suit.

* * *

Sirius had only been asleep for a few hours when he heard something, and the heightened senses he had from being a dog amplified the sound, jolting him awake. It sounded almost like someone was dragging a large blanket or mattress against the stone walls and floor of the old castle, and it put Sirius on edge. After all, his wife had warned him there was a giant snake in the castle, potentially loose and looking for a meal. He sat up, moving away from his sleeping friends, trying to hear the sound better.

He followed it along the wall that opened to the hallway, and decided to follow after. He transformed back into himself long enough to leave the room and relock the door behind him, then he transformed back into Padfoot and took off after the noise.

He noticed it moved faster the closer it got to the bathrooms, and then he couldn't hear it at all standing outside the girls lavatory. Sirius sat back on his hind legs, head tilted in confusion. He wondered if Hermione knew where they thing's nest was. He sat for a few long moments, waiting to see if he heard anything more, but suddenly a light came bounding down the hall to him.

A white stag, James' patronus, was illuminating the hall. Sirius felt panicked, but the charm spoke out to him.

"You alright, mate? Where did you go?" It ask, then dissipated back into the darkness. Sirius ran back to where he had left the others, and came back into the room.

James was propped up against the wall, face pale, arms crossed over his body. Moony had curled himself into a tight ball, and was sleeping soundly, if not for the occasional whimper or snore. "Where did you go?" James whispered angrily.

"I heard something!" Sirius whisper shouted back.

"You scared the shit out of me!" James scolded. "Could've at least left a note. I was afraid-"

"What could possibly be scarier than Moony here at Hogwarts?" Sirius questioned. James closed his eyes and blew a long breath out of his nose.

"I don't know, but don't do that again." He commanded, and Sirius rolled his tired grey eyes as he transformed back into Padfoot and took his place back at Remus' side. James rejoined them, but couldn't help laying awake, listening to the quiet of the castle.

* * *

 **Much longer chapter, hope you all enjoy it! Next chapter will have Christmas- and I hope to have it out much sooner than it took me to update this.  
Please be sure to review and let me know what you think/what you'd like to see!**


	7. Chapter 7

Tonks was starting to get a bit annoyed, as anyone in a blindfold stumbling through the snow would be. She'd been blindfolded since she left her flat with Remus, who had simply said he had a surprise for her, and that he'd done something a bit crazy. He had her dressed warmly, and had done the same. Coats, hats, scarves, the whole winter gear up. She had no idea where they were, only that it was cold, outdoors, had snowed recently, and Remus had disapperated them part of the trip. She tripped a bit again, the ankle deep powder beneath her feet catching her as she trudged along where Remus led, holding her arm.

"How much further? My ass may freeze off at any moment." Tonks complained, trying to be as whiny as possible to make him speed up. She was mostly just anxious and excited about where he was taking her on Christmas eve that was so important they would be late to the annual Family Christmas Party at Sirius and Hermione's house.

"I can promise you I would never allow that to happen. I love it far too much." Remus laughed and gave her bum a pinch, causing her to jump slightly and laugh as well. "We are actually... Here." He positioned her on what she guessed was a sidewalk that had been either cleared of snow, or was covered and had none land on it. He stayed directly behind her. "Take the blindfold off." He instructed.

Tonks looked around before actually looking before here, taking stock of her surroundings. "Hogsmade?" She said, not so much as a question needing confirmation, more of confusion as to why there were there. "This place is nice, looks new?" She looked back at Remus, who shrugged, hands in his pockets and nodded back to the building.

"Read the sign on the door, love." He said, a large smile on his face. "Read it aloud, if you will. I can't see it back here..."

Tonks moved closer to read the small piece of paper tapped to the front window. "It says..." Tonks squinted her eyes into the dim lit window, then took her wand out and illuminated the paper so she could see better, "It says 'FUTURE HOME OF LIVING CANVAS TATTOO AND ARTISTRY STUDIO OF NYMPHADORA L-'" Tonks stopped for a moment, leaned closer and finish the sign, "Nymphadora Lupin?" She turned on her heels to face Remus and immediately understood why he had stayed behind her.

Remus was down on one knee, blinking back tears but smiling brilliantly. He laughed a bit nervously, and held a ring box in one hand. "Dora, my darling. I know this might seem soon to some, but honestly I don't want to waste any more time than I have to without you being mine forever. Would you do me the incredible honor of marrying me?" He clicked the ring box open and the diamond ring inside sparkled in the streetlights.

"Yes! Ah!" Tonks squealed, flinging her arms around his neck and embracing him so suddenly that they both fell back into the snowy street. She kissed him from her place on his chest, then stood and helped him up. "Yes I will marry you!" She squeaked again as he laughed and slid the ring down on her finger and she admired it in the light. "I love it! I love _you_!"

"I love you so much, and honestly, I don't want another second wasted. It took everything in me to wait until I had this all set up to ask." Remus laughed again, and he let out a long breath of relief. He pulled her close and kissed her again. "I'm so..." He hesitated, searching for the right words.

"I know!" Tonks agreed. "Like, what do I do with all this... hype? Energy?" She questioned. Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Well..."

"We definitely don't have time for that... I wish." She snorted. "We could go tell everyone we know!"

"We should definitely do that." Remus agreed. "But first... Do you want to look at the studio?"

"Oh shit!" Tonks laughed, covering her mouth. "I literally forgot about it as soon as I saw you down on you knee! Um... Yes. I do. But-"

"You'd rather go tell everyone we just got engaged?" Remus chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Is that okay?" She ask, bouncing a bit, biting at her lower lip. Remus kissed her nose.

"Of course. Then we'll have time to look at the flat above it, too." He suggested. "I bought the whole building. Thought we could live there while we build a house..."

"Remus..." Tonks breathed, almost in a swoon. "You're amazing. I love you so much."

"I love you, Dora." He squeezed her closer. "Deep breath." He instructed, then disapperated them back out of Hogsmade with a 'pop'.

* * *

As they both suspected they would be, there were the last to arrive at the house. Frank and Alice Longbottom, along with their son were sitting by the fire, talking to Lily and Harry, James and Sirius were plating some more food onto the long table set up over by the window, Hermione was discussing something with Tonks' parents, and there were several others about, and children darting around and giggling. They didn't bother to knock, just opened the door- They had hoped to sneak in a bit unnoticed and take a moment before they were all bombarded with excited family members.

Remus had informed Tonks her parents, or rather at least father, knew, as he had ask for his blessing. He was unaware if he had shared this with Andromeda, but he had not talked to any of the others about it. He had not wanted the surprise of it to possibly be spoiled by involving anyone other than had to be.

They came in the door, waving greetings to everyone within and Remus took their coats. Tonks came over to where Hermione was with her parents, and Remus followed right behind her. She gave her father a kiss on the cheek, and Remus shook his hand as customary, and Andromeda looked her over suspiciously.

"You look... bubblier than normal." Andromeda said, a dark eyebrow arched toward her hairline. Tonks pretended to be offend.

"Hmm. I don't feel any different..." She hummed, and covered her mouth with her left hand, acting as if she were deep in thought. Andromeda gasped, and grabbed Tonks' wrist, pulling her closer.

"Nymphadora!" She exclaimed, a bit too loudly, and several heads at the party turned. Remus came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting a cheek on her tight pink curls.

"Yeah, mum. We're engaged!" She beamed. Ted moved over and pulled his daughter from her fiance's embrace into his own tight hug, before moving on and pulling Remus into one as well.

"Glad to see it all went well, my boy!" Ted boomed, and everyone else in the room started to gather around and chime in congratulations. Sirius and James both giving Remus crippling tight hugs, kissing Tonks' cheeks, the other Marauders and Lily and Hermione all welcoming her into their so called 'pack'.

It was due to this flurry of hugs and happy congratulations that Andromeda pulled back, and was able to escape mostly unnoticed into the kitchen.

Mostly.

Hermione Black was on the older witch's heels, curiosity and worry driving her to check on Andromeda, as she did not look as happy as the moment should have allowed for. Hermione remembered her initial reaction to Tonks being with Remus in the other timeline, but it was so vastly different. That Remus came with stigma, was unemployed, had no savings. Remus now was very well off, extremely respected in the wizarding community. The sort of man any mother would want their daughter to marry.

Well, Hermione reasoned, except for the furry little problem. She stepped softly into her kitchen, where Andromeda was standing, braced on the counter with her back to Hermione, a bottle of Sirius' best firewhiskey open and a half full glass at her left hand. Hermione made sure the door was completely closed before she locked it behind her. "Andy?" She cautiously spoke, not wanting to make whatever was happening worse.

"Hmm." She hummed, and picked up the glass, looked at it for a moment, then swallowed the remaining liquid down in one pull.

"You alright?" She ask, stepping up to prop herself on the counter where Andromeda stood. She did not look toward the younger woman, she simply gazed at the marble countertop before her.

"Nope." She popped, pouring another whiskey nearly full to the brim.

"Do-I mean..." Hermione sighed, "Would you like to talk about it?"

"I can't." She replied, her voice still harsh and cold. She swallowed her second glass down at one time, then flipped the glass upside down and slid it away from herself.

"Shouldn't you be out there telling your daughter how happy you are for her?" Hermione said, honestly a bit defensive of both Tonks and Remus. Andromeda just shrugged.

"That is exactly why I came to get drunk in your kitchen." Andromeda replied.

"You don't seem very drunk to me..." Hermione huffed.

"I didn't expect to be interrupted." She snapped, her eyes meeting Hermione's. They reminded her of Walburga's. Stormy and grey, like Sirius', but rather than cheerful and loving they looked as unwelcoming as a summer storm, fierce and destructive.

"It's my house, Andy. And I don't appreciate you acting like this. Remus and Nymphadora are very, very important to Sirius and I. If you have something against this, work it out on your own. Don't get drunk in my kitchen and go make a fool of yourself lying to your child. This is the happiest day of her life, and no matter what your issue may be, I will not let you ruin it for her." Hermione said in a tone nearly as harsh, Andromeda looking her over through sharp eyes. "Besides, Remus ask Ted for his blessing. Any issue you have- Start there. And do it at home."

Hermione turned on her heels to exit the kitchen, when Andromeda called out to stop her.

"Mione, it really isn't what you think." She said, looking once more to the countertop, her hands gripping at the edge tightly. "I don't have a problem with Remus. I know that his lycanthropy is under control. It's... Something I'll work on." She said, tears in her voice.

"If she asks, I'll tell her you needed a moment because you were emotional." Hermione replied, and went back out the door.

"Hermione!" James called as Hermione came back into the main room.

"You all look like you were waiting on me..." She said, wedging herself onto the couch between James and Sirius.

"Harry wanted to show you all the early Christmas present we got him!" James said, laughing.

"And that had to wait on me?" Hermione questioned.

"Its a really good one, Aunt 'Mione." Harry explained. Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. Before he wasted any time explaining, Harry quickly pulled the sweater he had on off, revealing a graphic printed tshirt.

'BEST BIG BROTHER' The shirt read, in red and gold letters.

There was an explosion almost equal to the one that Remus and Tonks had started, excited exclamations, joy, hugs and tears. Sirius even gave James a cartoonish kiss on the lips after kissing Lily's cheek.

"See, now I feel bad. Mione and I didn't plan anything huge to surprise everyone with." Sirius joked.

"We hosted the party!" Hermione pointed out, laughing.

"We could have another baby..." Sirius suggested.

"Are you going to carry it?" she retorted, and everyone burst into fits of laughter.

Tonks took this opportunity to scan the room, and made eye contact with her father. 'Where is mum?' she mouthed, and Ted looked around for his wife then shrugged. They moved at the same time, and met on the side of the room, away from the noise.

"I haven't seen her in quite a bit, come to think of it..." Ted said, scratching at his balding head.

"She left." Sirius said, coming up behind his younger cousin.

"Left?" Ted ask. "We drove here together."

"Must have disapperated. May have caught a knight bus. I didn't ask." Sirius replied, and he took a sip of his cider. He seemed too nonchalant for the father and daughter, who were a bit worried.

"Why would she leave?" Tonks demanded.

"Because I told her it was probably the best that she did." Sirius replied, still speaking very casually. Tonks' hair went from bubbly pink to fiery red, and Ted furrowed his brow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What?!" They demanded together.

"She was about to show her ass. Believe me, one Black to another, she agreed it was for the good of everyone else here." Sirius explained, trying to calm them. "I didn't kick her out or anything like that."

"Show her ass?" Tonks questioned.

"Andy was drunk, emotional, and just needed to go and have a break. Sober up. Have a think. Ted, might not be a bad idea to check on her, mate. Not that you have to leave, too." Sirius explained again.

"I don't understand." Ted said, and Sirius simply replied with a pointed look, and small glance in Tonks' direction. Ted breathed a small 'fuck' under his breath, kissed the top of his daughter's head and left as well. Sirius noticed the tears welling up in his cousin's eyes, and he pulled her by the wrist into the study Hermione had attached to the sitting room.

"Dora-Bell, please don't cry." He pleaded.

"What did she say?" She said, wrapping her arms over her chest. Sirius blinked back at her and sighed heavily. "Sirius."

"I'm not going to tell you. You are having a great night. Its Christmas Eve for fuck's sake, and you just got engaged to the best bloke around. Lily and James are having a miracle child... There will be no sadness in my house!"

"So you did kick her out." Tonks replied.

"She agreed it was for the best. But yeah, I told her to take her negativity and go sober up." He shrugged. "I will not have it."

"Just- It was about me, wasn't it? I'm not good enough for a man Remus. Not feminine, not as educated. Gonna get left because I'm not wife materiel...?" She guessed, tears sliding down her cheeks. "She's my mom, Sirius. I don't have to hear her to know what she said."

Sirius simply looked down at his boots. Tonks snorted a small, sarcastic laugh and dried her eyes. She stood on her toes and kissed her older cousin's cheek, who had for her entire life been more of a big brother.

"I appreciate you taking care of me, Sirius." She said, fanning at her eyes to dry the tears remaining to keep them from falling.

"Want to go get drunk, too?" Sirius suggested. "You can have Lily's share!" He laughed, and Tonks joined in, and agreed. They walked arm in arm back out, and Tonks pulled Sirius back down to her to whisper into his ear before they split back up.

"Remus doesn't need to know." She said simply. Sirius nodded and gave her a wink before walking her back over to the couch where Remus, James and Lily were sitting.

The two said nothing else, but Sirius mixed Tonks a very stiff drink and brought over and gave it to her with nothing but a knowing smile.

* * *

 **So rather than Christmas Day, I ended up with Christmas Eve, but I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **We will be back with the basilisk soon, I promise.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please consider a review, they so make my day!**


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